So here's the thing. We all know this car is not going to win over any V8 muscle car purist or most people because I'll say 70% of people aren't sold on the idea of an EV and of the 30% who like or even tolerate EVs, there maybe 10%-15% of them who are into EV performance. The Daytona EV as it stands isn't what most people wanted it to be but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad car or that it should just be written off. You guys know me, I'm a fan of the Mopar brand, hemi powered and otherwise and I was sitting at work today and I thought about a weird kind of "What if" situation for the Daytona that might just be crazy enough to make sense.
Unfortunately for me, I'm one of the very few people who fell in love with this car the moment I saw it. I am not an EV person by nature but I love what Dodge has done with this car. My "What if" thought was, what if, the Charger Daytona became the first "Tuner" EV. Meaning, what if we as customers could actually hands on upgrade this car or get upgrades for this car, like real, actual performance upgrades. Stellantis talked about thing such as this "E-Rupt" system that would give the car the feeling of shifting gears along with a 3-speed gearbox but only talked about that for the 800-Volt car that may be a few years away (if the car even lasts that long). My thought would be to take the regular 400V cars, both Scat pack and R/T and give them this technology along with the semi-solid state batteries and see what that does for the car first. While this may or may not give the car any extra power, the solid state batteries are lighter and have the ability to give the car more range. Not only that but the 3-speed gearbox would also add to the range along with allowing for better use of power in both acceleration and deceleration. Which is something that this video make crystal clear. In a normal car, The automatic transmission is downshifting while a car is slowing down which assist the car in reducing speed. In an EV, especially one with the kind of weight the Charger has, trying to stop all of that speed and momentum is similar to trying to quickly stop a freight train at full speed. For what it's worth, those big Brembo brakes did a phenomenal job in scrubbing speed as the car danced around the cones and left the Mach E like it was standing still. The truth of the matter is the Daytona is a rushed and unfinished product. Not a bad product. There is a difference. At this trim level, the car doesn't need any more power in stock form it needs to be able to manage power better and be able to do the things an American performance car should be able to do, like burnouts!
I mentioned earlier about this being the first real electric tuner but obviously the customizations would be more geared towards chassis enhancements, suspension and brake mods along with styling, sound and power management. once things like the 3-speed gearbox and the new battery system comes into play. Basically just SRT pages that allow for the adjustment of torque delivery, shift points, suspension settings, etcetera, just like on an SRT car. The last major aspect I think should get some love is the Fratzonic exterior sound system. While Dodge did their best to make a unique sound for this car and it has some volume to it, the truth is, it could be louder. Borla has their active sound system for the Mach E but my thoughts go a little deeper than just that. Doesn't seem to far fetched to think that aftermarket companies could make an louder version of this with competition level subwoofers, better enclosures and even outlet ports that would actually be a complete diffuser replacement with more aggressive styling and even dual and quad outlet megaphones for a louder, deeper, clearer sound and even upgradable or replaceable speakers. I obviously can't view anything on this car like a regular ICE vehicle but I don't see this as a bad vehicle at all. If anything, the more I see videos like this and even some on different social media sites about what this car can and can't do, it makes me more interested in this vehicle. it's the imperfections that make it more interesting because of the fact that it shows me that there is room for upgrades and improvements. Granted the price definitely needs to drop significantly but the car itself has SOOO much promise in the EV realm. I guess time will tell
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